The Lion King:
The Legend Continues
By Asante
Note: The following is the recommended reading order of my fan fiction novels and short stories:
The Lion King: A Father's Concern (short story)
The Lion King: Sarafina (short story)
The Lion King: Mheetu (short story)
The Lion King III: The Lost Prince (book)
The Lion King IV: The Rogue Pride (book)
The Lion King: Responsibilities (short story)
The Lion King V: Man Comes to the Pride Lands (book)
The Lion King VI: Fall of Man (book)
You can find all my fan fictions on my profile page. Technically, Responsibilities takes place before The Lost Prince but I recommend reading Responsibilities last and then Man Comes to the Pride Lands because Responsibilities is a midquel of Mheetu with a final section that takes place after The Rogue Pride, so it will probably spoil some of the plot for Mheetu, The Lost Prince, and The Rogue Pride.
The Lion King:
A Father's Concern
King Ahadi stood on the promontory staring at his kingdom. He was a magnificent lion, his fur bright gold and his black mane majestically thick and sleek. He had a piercing gaze with forest green eyes. In comparison to his father-in-law, the recently deceased King Mohatu, Ahadi was a much larger creature but, despite his impressive stature, the new king was not confidant he would match up to his predecessor and felt his heart quiver slightly as the beasts gathered below his throne, expectant gazes directed up at him from every direction.
"Do you love my daughter, Ahadi?" Mohatu asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty, with all my heart," Ahadi replied.
"Then you must take on a great duty, because you are not only asking me for her paw in marriage, but for the crown upon my death." Mohatu smiled. "Do you believe you are ready for such a responsibility?"
Ahadi hesitated. "I don't know, Mohatu. I – I don't think I am."
Mohatu smiled more broadly. "That's all I needed to hear."
Ahadi wondered now if Mohatu might have been going senile in his old age. The former king had seen Ahadi's lack of confidence as a sign of worthiness? Ahadi supposed Mohatu was pleased that Ahadi was not conceited or arrogant but surely a future king should be someone who was confident in their ability to lead – shouldn't he?
As Ahadi thought about this, he looked over his shoulder at his wife Uru, daughter to the late king. She was a lovely brown-furred lioness with reddish eyes and a diamond-shaped birthmark on her forehead. She watched him with a smile. Two cubs sat on either side of her, their children Mufasa and Taka.
Seeing his family and noting the love in the eyes of his wife and older son, Ahadi felt his heart bolstered in the face of his new duties, though he couldn't help but pause on his younger son, Taka, who stared unemotionally at Ahadi.
Not too long ago, Taka was a very charming and lovable boy. Many compared him to Ahadi in likeness, though his color was closer to Uru. There were times Ahadi could remember Taka giggling happily as he rolled around in the grass with his father, smiling eagerly while his grandfather Mohatu told him and Mufasa stories, and snuggling affectionately with his parents while they slept. But ever since Mohatu became sick and Taka began thinking about the line of succession, something changed in the younger cub.
"But what if I made a better king than Mufasa?" Taka asked.
Ahadi tried to console Taka but his attempts to explain the situation only caused the cub more displeasure. "If that were the case, than I would name you the future king, but seeing as I do not yet know which of you would be worthier, it naturally falls to the firstborn – your big brother. And he has not given me any reason to doubt his capabilities to rule after me."
Taka's eyes filled with tears. "It's because you love him more," he accused.
Ahadi nuzzled Taka. "No, I love you both equally, Taka."
Taka withdrew into himself following that conversation, and his attitude towards the rest of the family became cold and bitter. Before this unsettling change, Taka had shown great affection for his older brother as they played. Now, Ahadi grew alarmed by the way Taka treated Mufasa. On one occasion, Ahadi had to reprimand Taka for knocking Mufasa off a log. The event was particularly disturbing because he'd come upon them as Taka was dangling Mufasa off the log's edge by his paws. Luckily, Mufasa wasn't hurt that time.
"Why does Taka hate me?" Mufasa asked Ahadi.
Ahadi looked at his older son with concern. "Taka doesn't hate you."
"Yes he does," Mufasa insisted, cuddling up into Ahadi's mane. "I try to be nice to him but he's always so mean."
Ahadi hugged Mufasa. "He's just sad because your grandfather is sick. It's not because of you."
It grieved Ahadi to see this rift forming between his boys. What's more, he began to have a dreadful feeling that something horrible was going to happen between his sons – and he didn't know how to stop it.
"They're just children," Uru told Ahadi when he brought the topic up with her. "They're sad about Father's illness and don't know how to express their grief."
Ahadi shook his head. "I don't think it's just that. I'm very worried about Taka. I'm afraid he might do something."
Uru had been taken aback. "Do something? Like what?"
Ahadi didn't know how to respond. "It's just something in his eyes. He's changing and – I don't think it's a good change. When I think about what might happen to him and Mufasa after we're gone, I'm terrified."
Then, Mohatu passed, and the subject of Taka's behavior was wiped from the minds of everyone in the kingdom – except Ahadi. While all eyes were directed at him on the day of his coronation, his eyes were locked with Taka's. The cub merely gazed back at his father with a look of complete apathy.
The kingdom was waiting and Ahadi turned back to them. He let out a mighty roar, determined to help his younger son overcome the darkness he sensed spreading through Taka's heart.
He was destined to fail...
The End
Proposed Semi - Canon Voice Cast
Ahadi - Sean Bean
Uru - Marina Sirtis
Note: Mohatu didn't appear in any of the movies, but in the audiobook The Lion King: The Brightest Star, he is voiced by Avery Brooks.